This is a Christian blog dealing with various issues. “Discernment is not simply a matter of telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather it is the difference between right and almost right.” -Charles Spurgeon. Scripture is my authority for all things regarding to life and godliness. 2 Cor. 10: 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Friday, April 28, 2017

Nye's new show occasionally references science and scientific language with the purpose of promoting left-wing causes.

Michelle Cretella, president of the Florida-based American College of Pediatricians, was not amused.

"These sad videos prove that atheistic Darwinians are so committed to blind faith that they very well may be invincibly ignorant," Cretella said in an interview with The Christian Post on Thursday.

"At least eight of the largest and best studies of identical twins in Australia, the U.S., and Scandinavia during the last two decades prove that no one is born homosexual. Identical twins have the same DNA at conception. They are nurtured in equal prenatal conditions. If homosexuality is caused solely by genetics or prenatal conditions and one twin is homosexual, the co-twin should also be homosexual 100 percent of the time," she explained.

"Instead, the studies reveal that this happens only about 11 percent of the time for male identical twins and 14 percent of the time for female identical twins. The predominant things that create homosexuality in one identical twin and not in the other have to be post-birth factors."

"The largest twin study to examine transsexualism was conducted by Dr. Milton Diamond in 2013 and found that identical twins were both transsexual only 20 percent of the time. This means that post-birth factors account for 80 percent of what caused their transgender feelings," Cretella said.

Cretella further noted that British anthropologist and author of Sex and Culture, J.D. Unwin, studied 86 societies spanning 5,000 years of history and found "a distinct correlation between increasing sexual freedom and social decline."

The bottom line, she maintained, is that the "'born that way sexual spectrum and gender fluidity claim' is not only unscientific; evolutionarily speaking, it is an unfit trait."~Excerpts from The Christian Post

Monday, April 24, 2017

When I read Mohler's interview with Dreher, I wondered who MacIntyre was, as they both were huge fans of his. Well, as you can see, it turns out he's another Marxist that another Evangelical (Mohler) read in college, was greatly influenced by, and still reads today. That's exactly the problem with Tim Keller, who also was influenced by Marxism in college. Rick Warren uses Marxism in his argumentation and promotion of socialism. MLK Jr , whom The "Gospel" Coalition is rallying around in their MLK50 celebration, also was heavily influenced by Marxism, as are the Black Liberation theologians James Cone, Cornell West, who like to mix Marxism with religion.

This is a pattern. As A.W. Pink said, "Take heed of what you hear, and read!". What are your kids reading in college? What did your pastor read in seminary? What sits on his bookshelves now? What authors impacted him? This is huge, because if they are not of Christ, they are poisoning not only your leaders and your kids, but YOU.

Going from bad to worse, Dreher openly acknowledged on Mohler’s program that his book was founded upon Alasdair MacIntyre, a Marxist philosopher and Post Liberal Theologian. MacIntyre wrote his most notable work After Virtue during the Reagan years when the U.S. was involved in the Cold War. Providence had it that the U.S. soundly defeated the Soviet Union as was indicated by the fall of the Berlin Wall. While the U.S. won the war abroad, it was also fighting a battle at home in the minds of some of its brightest students at Notre Dame under the tutelage of MacIntyre.It is also interesting to note that Mohler likewise acknowledged, “I was assigned Alasdair MacIntyre’sAfter Virtue when I was a graduate student, and I think it’s probably one of the two or three books to which I return most often.” MacIntyre’s book embraced the same philosophy that the Apostle Paul warned the church against. Paul wrote in the book of Colossians,

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ (2:8).

What is the answer to this? Sola Scriptura: Scripture only. Obey the voice of the King of kings, for He has already commanded by way of the apostle Paul:

Col 2:8See to it that no one takes you captive by
philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the
elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

2Co 10:5We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion
raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey
Christ,

This necessarily means guarding your mind against such things by not spending time in such foolish empty garbage--the trap set by the enemy to seduce minds by appealing to the intellect. It is nothing more than standing there and considering the ancient serpent's claims he made to Eve, "Hath God said?" as he appealed to knowledge OUTSIDE of God's Word.

"Evangelical Christians in North America sometimes misunderstand the Reformation doctrine of sola Scriptura to mean that the Bible is the Christian’s only theological resource, that it can and should be denuded of its churchly context (hence nuda Scriptura). Such an understanding is altogether incorrect…. Calvin believed that holy Scripture as the only infallible rule of faith and practice should serve as the final authority by which to judge Christian doctrine and practice, but it was not his only resource for theology…He recognized the strategic importance of demonstrating the continuity of Protestant teaching with the core convictions of the early Church.While believers should be Bereans and search the Scriptures for themselves, we don’t do it in a vacuum. Our study of the Word is not disconnected from what has transpired in church history. Even the means by which and the theological grid through which we interpret the Word are influenced by those who have gone before us." ~The Aquila ReportThat's the problem. Sola Scriptura means Scripture plus other resources for theology and practice (is that not traditions of men, by definition?). Col 1:18 "He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything." Sola Scripture violates this verse. Reformers then, are no different than Rick Warren who also holds to Sola Scriptura, as he said "I do accept the Bible as a standard of authority and I judge my experience by it not vice versa."Christ Jesus is to have First Placein everything (Col. 1:17-18) which demands therefore that there is no competition for His rightful place, His Word, or His Word. Doctrinal triage and having other authorities other than Scripture is not giving Jesus Christ the King of kings First Place or preeminence in everything, especially regarding His Word.

The Bible stands alone, unattached to history or science. We don't need another source to know the wisdom and truth of God, for that alone comes from God. For some to say that the Bible is attached to history (that is, we must know history if we are to know biblical truth), one must ask: Who's version of history? Rome's? Evolutionists? The Gnostics? And if one must have history to *really* understand Scripture and know how to practice it, then it doesn't stop there. One must also have science to *really* understand biblical doctrine. You see the problem, don't you? It becomes history (or science) as the interpreter of Scripture versus Scripture as the interpreter of history.

Scripture stands alone, on it's own. It has God's record of history. And might I also say that The End is just as historical as The Beginning? If one rejects the historical Beginning, what's the point of attaching the Bible to history anyway? Ah, because when we talk of history, we MUST talk of history according to God and that seems to be the problem.I am not saying that history doesn't confirm God's sovereign hand; indeed it has as I said, His record of history. What I am saying though, is that for the "Sola Scriptura" crowd to suggest we must have other authority other than the Bible for faith and practice as Calvin and others have claimed, is in serious error. To go to anywhere but the Master and Creator of all things first, then eventually, maybe go to Scripture is dangerous as well as not putting Christ in First Place. Consider Calvin used the Roman Catholic teaching and practice of infant sprinkling which is anti-biblical. Sources outside of the Bible are not fallible and as Eph. 4 17-20 and 1 Cor. 1-2 show, we cannot learn Christ by way of the world.

A friend of mine, Debi, posted this in relation to this issue of using history and traditions of the "early church" to dictate faith and practice instead of Scripture alone and it is well stated:

"John Gill even recognized the problem in this issue.....In his commentary on Proverbs 22:28 [Pro 22:28 Do not move the ancient boundary Which your fathers have set.]

he said, "Some apply this, in a political sense, to laws of long standing, and customs of long prescription; and others interpret it, in a theological sense, of doctrines and practices settled by the fathers of the church; which, if understood of Christ and his apostles only, will be allowed; but if of the ancient fathers of the church that followed them, it should not be received; since they were but fallible men, and guilty of many errors and mistakes, both in doctrine and practice." The old landmarks we are not to move are those of Scripture and the examples of the apostles, none other."

Col 1:17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Col 1:18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

Scripture states that it alone is the resource for theology, or that is to say, "everything pertaining to life and godliness" (2Peter 1:2-4). Only Scripture alone is God's revelation of Himself and His doctrine. Sola Scriptura is why most Evangelicals are open to Evolution, Psychology, Hyper-Preterism, Amillennialism, Feminism, Emergent Church Movement, Charismaticism, etc. Once Scripture must compete with other ways, it ceases to be one's SOLE AUTHORITY. I hold to Solo Scriptura.Psa 1:1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. Psa 1:3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Ps. 138:2… You have exalted above
all things Your name and Your word.

Mat 4:4 But he answered, "It
is written, "'Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

1Pe 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

1Pe 1:24 For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,

1Pe 1:25 BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you.

1Pe 2:2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Heb 4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

2Ti 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

2Ti 3:17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Being gospel-centered isn't the same as being Christ-centered. We are to move on from elementary truths of milk to meat. The Gospel, while the good news of salvation, is not what we feed on for the rest of our lives. We feed on the whole counsel of the Word and that necessarily means all the doctrines that mature us. That means hard, deep truths of Scripture. And all of them are knowable which is why they are powerful to equip us for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). I suspect that the popular notion of "gospel centered" is a way to keep Christians immature. We are to grow up in all things in Christ. A great book on this is Ephesians. It teaches a treasure trove of deep doctrine and how it helps in our sanctification. We cannot be sanctified without biblical doctrine (anyone who tells you that, who makes a false dichotomy between doctrine and practice isn't being honest to the Word).

Heb 5:11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.Heb 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.Heb 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. Heb 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

Eph 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, Eph 4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,Eph 4:3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;Eph 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,Eph 4:6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Eph 4:11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,Eph 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;Eph 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Artist of "The Shack" book cover regrets promoting book. That's good. However, he still has some issues:

Many will still say that the book was intended as just a work of fiction, but the author himself, William Paul Young, is quoted as saying, “The Shack is theology. But it is a theology wrapped in a story.”Embracing The Shack, as I did, led me to other books, other authors who had started out on the straight and narrow, having solid Biblical beliefs, but strayed off into apostasy land. Rob Bell, Jim Palmer, Brian McLaren, to name a few of those by whom I was inspired. That "inspiration" led me to the edge of this Universalist belief. I thank the Lord that He pulled me back from that edge.The Shack’s story wonderfully painted this picture to me of an incredibly knowable and loving God, one full of forgiveness, but without being judgmental. The fact is that there are two inseparable sides to God. He is both love and judge.Again, this thing called “free will” has given us the ability to willfully accept God’s gracious gift of His Son, Jesus, who died on a cross to save us from our sins, or willfully reject His gracious gift. Jesus did die for the sins of the whole world, but tragically most of the world has and will refuse Him.

Bell and McLaren were never ever solid. Also, there is no such thing as "free will" since Scripture clearly and adamantly states that we are all slaves either to sin or righteousness (Rom. 6:16-22). If we are not redeemed and adopted by God to God, then we remain as children of the devil, under his reign. There is no neutrality toward God and sin for anyone. Basically the "free will" doctrine denies the sound doctrine of total depravity.

Rom 8:5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Rom 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

Rom 8:7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,

Rom 8:8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

1Co 2:14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

Rom 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

Rom 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Eph 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

Eph 2:2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Eph 2:3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Php 3:18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ,

Universal atonement is blasphemous as it portrays a helpless god who's will is thwarted, although filled with good intentions. It's pushed by those who don't want to offend sinners, but instead assure the wicked God loves them and thus Jesus died for them all. To say Jesus died for all sinners and yet many won't go to Heaven is a FALSE GOSPEL.

Joh 10:26but you do not
believe because you are not part of My flock.

Acts 13: ﻿48﻿ When the Gentiles heard this, they
were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for
eternal life believed.

Rom. 8: ﻿30﻿ And
those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those
he justified, he also glorified

Rom 11:7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it
was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,
"God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that
would not hear, down to this very day."

Eph 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love

Eph 1:5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

Eph 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Is. 14: ﻿24﻿ The
LORD Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I
have purposed, so it will stand… ﻿26﻿
This is the plan
determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all
nations. 27﻿ For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart
him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

Friday, April 21, 2017

Looking at 1 Cor. 15-16 , the sound doctrine of the Resurrection is bound to:

the GospelApostolic teachingour Resurrectionbibliology (Gen. 2 is quoted as are the Prophets)the atonementour hopeeschatologytotal depravityhistoricity of AdamLordship of ChristSanctificationSoteriologyThe Beginning (Creation, Adam, the Fall)our inheritance of the kingdom of GodChristologyecclesiologyofferingsound doctrine

If a person doesn't hold to the literal-historical-grammatical interpretation of Genesis, then he can't hold to these other doctrines. They rise and fall together.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

The “Gospel” which is being preached today is only calculated to deceive souls and bolster them up in a false hope.

To make men believe that God loves them, while they are under His wrath (see John 3:36), is worse than a physician telling a diabetic subject that he may safely eat all he wishes.

To withhold the preaching of the Law — its Divine authority, its inexorable demands, its spirituality (in requiring inward conformity to it: Matthew 5:22, 28), its awful curse — is to omit that which alone conveys a true knowledge of sin: see Romans 3:20, 7:7.

To cry “Believe, believe,” and say nothing about repentance, is to falsify the terms of salvation: Luke 24:47; Acts 17:30.

To invite sinners to receive Christ as their “Savior” before they surrender to Him as their Lord, is to present a false “way of salvation.”

To bid the lost “come to Christ” without telling them they must first “forsake the world,” is to fill the “churches” with unconverted souls.

To tell sinners they may find rest unto their souls without taking Christ’s YOKE upon them, is to give the lie unto the Master’s own teaching: Matthew 11:29.”

Two of several interesting points made regarding slavery in America, by Michael Medved:Even in the South, more than 80% of the white population never owned slaves. Given the fact that the majority of today’s non-black Americans descend from immigrants who arrived in this country after the War Between the States, only a tiny percentage of today’s white citizens – perhaps as few as 5% -- bear any authentic sort of generational guilt for the exploitation of slave labor.... THERE IS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT TODAY’S AFRICAN-AMERICANS WOULD BE BETTER OFF IF THEIR ANCESTORS HAD REMAINED BEHIND IN AFRICA. The idea of reparations rests on the notion of making up to the descendants of slaves for the incalculable damage done to their family status and welfare by the enslavement of generations of their ancestors. In theory, reparationists want society to repair the wrongs of the past by putting today’s African-Americans into the sort of situation they would have enjoyed if their forebears hadn’t been kidnapped, sold and transported across the ocean. Unfortunately, to bring American blacks in line with their cousins who the slave-traders left behind in Africa would require a drastic reduction in their wealth, living standards, and economic and political opportunities.... If we sought to erase the impact of slavery on specific black families, we would need to obliterate the spectacular economic progress made by those families (and by US citizens in general) over the last 100 years. In view of the last century of history in Nigeria or Ivory Coast or Sierra Leone or Zimbabwe, could any African American say with confidence that he or she would have fared better had some distant ancestor not been enslaved?End quote.Michael Medved, "Six Inconvenient Truths About the US And Slavery"

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

The "Gospel" Coalition and ERCL is presenting MLK 50 Conference. This focuses on the man as well as promoting the typical liberal mantra of white Christian racism as well as Black Liberation theology. The list of speakers include Russell Moore, John Piper, Don Carson, and Matt Chandler. Matt Chandler, Thabiti Anyabwile,Russell Moore,Don Carson, and Ronny Flyod sin on the Board sit on the MLK50 Board of Advisors.The stated purpose of this conference:"Racial unity is a gospel issue and all the more urgent 50 years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s death....The 50th anniversary of King’s tragic death marks an opportunity for Christians to reflect on the state of racial unity in the church and the culture. It creates the occasion to reflect on where Christians have been and look ahead to where we must go as we pursue racial unity in the midst of tremendous tension."The problem not only is the Marxist Black Liberation Theology, but also that MLK was not a Christian. Public papers by MLK are here.Basically, MLK denied Jesus' deity, His resurrection, a literal interpretation of Scripture, and there was not a time where he he realized he was a sinner in need of salvation by Christ Jesus alone apart from any works of his own (conversion). He said in part:
"Conversion for me was never an abrupt something. I have never experienced the so called "crisis moment." Religion has just been something that I grew up in. Conversion for me has been the gradual intaking of the noble {ideals} set forth in my family and my environment, and I must admit that this intaking has been largely unconscious."~SourceIn his own words, MLK said of Jesus Christ and the issue of His "divinity":

"Where then can we in the liberal tradition find the divine dimension in Jesus? We may find the divinity of Christ not in his substantial unity with God, but in his filial consciousness and in his unique dependence upon God. It was his felling of absolute dependence on God, as Schleiermaker would say, that made him divine. Yes it was the warmnest of his devotion to God and the intimatcy of his trust in God that accounts for his being the supreme revelation of God. All of this reveals to us that one man has at last realized his true divine calling: That of becoming a true son of man by becoming a true son of God. It is the achievement of a man who has, as nearly as we can tell, completely opened his life to the influence of the divine spirit.

The orthodox attempt to explain the divinity of Jesus in terms of an inherent metaphysical substance within him seems to me quite inadaquate. To say that the Christ, whose example of living we are bid to follow, is divine in an ontological sense is actually harmful and detrimental. To invest this Christ with such supernatural qualities makes the rejoinder: "Oh, well, he had a better chance for that kind of life than we can possible have." In other words, one could easily use this as a means to hide behind behind his failures. So that the orthodox view of the divinity of Christ is in my mind quite readily denied. The true significance of the divinity of Christ lies in the fact that his achievement is prophetic and promissory for every other true son of man who is willing to submit his will to the will and spirit og [sic]God. Christ was to be only the prototype of one among many brothers....

This divine quality or this unity with God was not something thrust upon Jesus from above, but it was a definite achievement through the process of moral struggle and self-abnegation. "
End quote.

Scripture however, is very clear to state that Jesus is God. He also exercised omniscience, contrary to what MLK claimed.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 He was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Joh 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."

Joh 8:56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."
Joh 8:57 So the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"
Joh 8:58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."

And as for His omniscience:

Joh 1:48 Nathanael *said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."

Luk 11:17 But He knew their thoughts and said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls.

Mat 17:24 When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?"
Mat 17:25 He *said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?"

The denial of the true Jesus by King Jr. has hints of Mormonism (Jesus was a man who achieve divinity) and New Age ("metaphysical" "consciousness").

So why would Evangelicals celebrate a true anti-Christ like MLK? Additionally the Boston University inquiry concluded that King Jr. plagiarized portions of his doctoral thesis, as reported back in 1991 by the New York Times.

James Cone, the chief architect of black liberation theology in his book A Black Theology of Liberation (1970), develops black theology as a system. In this new formulation, Christian theology is a theology of liberation – "a rational study of the being of God in the world in light of the existential situation of an oppressed community, relating the forces of liberation to the essence of the Gospel, which is Jesus Christ," writes Cone. Black consciousness and the black experience of oppression orient black liberation theology – i.e., one of victimization from white oppression....

One of the tasks of black theology, says Cone, is to analyze the nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in light of the experience of oppressed blacks. For Cone, no theology is Christian theology unless it arises from oppressed communities and interprets Jesus' work as that of liberation. Christian theology is understood in terms of systemic and structural relationships between two main groups: victims (the oppressed) and victimizers (oppressors). In Cone's context, writing in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the great event of Christ's liberation was freeing African Americans from the centuries-old tyranny of white racism and white oppression....

For black liberation theologians, Sunday is uniquely tied to redefining their sense of being human within a context of marginalization. "Black people who have been humiliated and oppressed by the structures of white society six days of the week gather together each Sunday morning in order to experience another definition of their humanity," says James Cone in his book Speaking the Truth (1999)....

Black liberation theologians James Cone and Cornel West have worked diligently to embed Marxist thought into the black church since the 1970s. For Cone, Marxism best addressed remedies to the condition of blacks as victims of white oppression. In For My People, Cone explains that "the Christian faith does not possess in its nature the means for analyzing the structure of capitalism. Marxism as a tool of social analysis can disclose the gap between appearance and reality, and thereby help Christians to see how things really are."

End quote.

Col 2:2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument.

1Co 1:21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

1Co 2:4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

1Co 2:5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

1Co 2:6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;

1Co 2:13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

Eph 4:17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,

Monday, April 17, 2017

Stay away from CRI. This article by Adan Pesler,while acknowledging some problematic theology in the movie, does say that there is some truth in it. However truth cannot come by way of error. The foundation is a false god, therefore how can it state truth based on that false god? It can't. But Evangelicals love their "fair and balanced" approach; their Post-Modern "truth in everything" view which prohibits them from taking a biblical stance on error and reject the entire thing. Worse, the option given to reading the book or watching the movie is worse: CS Lewis. Here are the troubling quotes:"The problematic theology in The Shack unfortunately detracts from some valuable aspects of its response to the problem of evil and suffering. One valuable element of the movie’s response to the problem is its hopeful message that there is no unredeemable suffering. God offers forgiveness even to the worst of sinners (so we should too!) and He is able to bring good out of even the most horrific evils. The movie also clearly communicates that although God allows suffering, which He then redeems, that does not mean that He is responsible for causing the suffering. As Papa explains to Mack, “I can work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies. That doesn’t mean I orchestrate the tragedies.”"End quote. Bold, my emphasis.The problem is that a false god will always have a false definition of good and evil, sin and obedience. Therefore what "The Shack" offers in regard to evil and suffering will not be what the biblical God says and ONLY what the biblical God says is true and is useful for our sanctification and right thinking. 2Ti 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 2Ti 3:17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. Those outside of Christ (like those who accept this false god of "The Shack") and are not of the elect indeed will have unredeemable pain and suffering. Suffering for sin isn't true suffering--it's justice.

1Pe 2:15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

1Pe 2:16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.

1Pe 2:18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.

1Pe 2:19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.

1Pe 2:20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

1Pe 4:15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;

For the believer ONLY, can we state most assuredly:

Rom 8:26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; Rom 8:27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Rom 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Rom 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; Rom 8:30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. Rom 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

And notice that "redeemable" suffering is entirely connected to the biblical Trinity. No biblical Trinity, means no salvation, which means no redeemable suffering. It's that simple.

Adam Pesler goes on to say:"Another valuable element of the movie’s response to the problem of suffering is its poignant portrayal of a God who suffers with us. In The Shack the divine Persons never try to explain to Mack why his precious daughter was allowed to suffer and die, but they share in his deep sorrow, demonstrating their unfailing love for Mack and his daughter.""To be clear, I do not encourage you to go see The Shack. The potentially healing aspects of the movie’s response to the problem of suffering are unfortunately bound up with unbiblical suggestions about the nature of God and the uniqueness of Christianity. Rather than spending your money on a movie ticket, I encourage you instead to buy a copy of Wolterstorff’s Lament for a Son or C. S. Lewis’s A Grief Observed and The Problem of Pain."End quote. Italics, original. Bold, my emphasis.God doesn't suffer. Not like humans do. To suggest that He does, is to suggest there is something mutable about Him, something lacking, something human. Now Scripture does say God is grieved by peoples' sin (particularly those by believers as Eph. 4 talks about). But that is not suffering. Man suffers loss for example, but the triune God does not. The biblical Jesus, who is God the Son, did suffered in His human flesh during His illegal trials and on the cross, but that was directly His alone and had everything to do with the atonement (He did also suffer infirmities as Hebrews states. He indeed was grieved but that wasn't an identifying with human grief. His sorrow was based on His standard and the violations made against Him and the perfect knowledge of just how totally depraved and dead in sin man is and what awaits those who are not chosen by Him for salvation. He never stopped being God ever, so even in His grief, He wasn't coming from a depraved, incomplete, without knowledge stance. To say God suffers when we do is really to make God man-centered which is blasphemy.

I believe that when God's people are persecuted, Scripture indicates that they are actually persecuting Him because 1) they belong to God and IN Christ, and are identified with Him and His name, and 2) we are the battleground on which the Devil is warring with God. I believe this is likely what Is. 63:9 is describing--also various other passages about the reproach of Christ which falls upon us). The world will hate us because we are in Christ and bear His fruit. In regard to the false teachings of CS Lewis, go here.

Holy Tradition, of which Holy Scripture is a
part, includes the writings, teachings, and acts of the apostles, saints,
martyrs, and fathers of the Church, and her liturgical and sacramental
traditions throughout the ages, the oral tradition of the early Church, and the
decisions of the Ecumenical Councils. All of this collective wisdom and
experience through the centuries are combined to form this second great source
of sacred authority.

The
Sacraments are seven in number. They are the visible means by which the
invisible Grace of the Holy Spirit is imparted to us. Four Sacraments
are obligatory:

1.Baptism,

2.Chrismation
(anointment with holy oil),

3.Confession, and

4.Holy Communion.

The central worship service of the Church is
the Divine Liturgy, which is celebrated each Sunday morning and on all holy
days. The Liturgy is also the means by which we achieve union with Jesus Christ
and unity with each other through the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

While the Orthodox Church considers herself the
Mother Church of Christendom, she cooperates with other churches in programs of
educational, philanthropic, and social endeavors insofar as this is consistent
with her theology.

At the center of the life of the Church is theHoly Eucharist, which is the
principal celebration of our faith and the means through which we participate
in the very life of the Holy Trinity.The major Sacraments are closely related
to the Eucharist, and they bear witness to the continuing presence of Christ in
the lives of His people.

The Church blesses individuals, events such as
trips, and objects such as icons, churches, flowers, fields, animals, and food.
In so doing, the Church is not only expressing our thanksgiving, but also
affirming that no gift, event, or human responsibility is secular or detached
from God. For the Orthodox Christian, all good things have God as their origin
and goal. Nothing is outside of God's love and concern.

Death alters but does not destroy the bond of
love and faith which exists among all the members of the Church. Orthodoxy
believes that through our prayers, those "who have fallen asleep in the
faith and the hope of the Resurrection" continue to have opportunity to
grow closer to God. Therefore, the Church prays constantly for her members who
have died in Christ. We place our trust in the love of God and the power of
mutual love and forgiveness. We pray that God will forgive the sins of the
faithful departed, and that He will receive them into the company of Saints in
the heavenly Kingdom.

Epiphany,
one of the oldest and most important Feast days of the Orthodox Church,
commemorates the manifestation of the Holy Trinity which took place at the
Baptism of Christ in the Jordan River. Recognizing rich meaning in this event,
Orthodoxy believes that when Christ was baptized, it not only marked the
beginning of His public ministry and revealed the Trinity, but also signified
that the entire creation is destined to share in the glory of redemption in
Christ. While Christ entered into the Jordan to be baptized, two things were
happening: He was identifying Himself with the people He had come to save, and
He was identifying Himself with the whole of Creation, which was represented by
water. Through His baptism, the Lord revealed the value of the created world
and He redirected it toward its Creator. Creation is good and it belongs to
God.

The
Great Blessing of Water is held on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany and on
the day itself, following the Divine Liturgy. The Blessing not only remembers
the event of Our Lord's baptism and the revelation of the Holy Trinity but also
expresses Orthodoxy's belief that creation is sanctified through Christ. The
Blessing affirms that humanity and the created world, of which we are a part,
were created to be filled with the sanctifying presence of God. After the
solemn blessing, the Holy Water is distributed to the faithful and is used to
bless homes during the Epiphany season. When the faithful drink the
"Epiphany Water," we are reminded of our own baptism. When the Church
blesses an individual, or object, or event with the water, we are affirming
that those baptized, their surroundings, and their responsibilities are
sanctified through Christ and brought into the Kingdom of the Father through
the Spirit.

The
Orthodox Church worships God alone. Yet, she does offer veneration to
individuals who have been important human instruments of God in the history of
salvation. Among those so venerated is Mary, the Mother of God, the Theotokos.
The Orthodox Church greatly honors Mary because she was chosen to give birth to
the Son of God. As one of the hymns declares:

"By
singing praise to your maternity, we exalt you as a spiritual temple,
Theotokos. For the One Who dwelt within your womb, the Lord who holds all things
in his hands, sanctified you, glorified you, and taught all to sing to you
..."

The
most beautiful and poetic service of the Orthodox Church in honor of Mary, the
Theotokos, is the Akathist Hymn. The word “akathist” means “without sitting.”
The congregation stands throughout the Service out of respect for Mary and her
unique role in our salvation in Christ. The Akathist Hymn is chanted in four
parts during the first four Fridays of Great Lent. On the fifth Friday, the
entire Service is chanted.

The Sacrament of Baptism incorporates us into
the Church, the Body of Christ, and is our introduction to the life of the Holy
Trinity. Water is a natural symbol of cleansing and newness of life. Through
the three-fold immersion in the waters of Baptism in the Name of the Holy
Trinity, one dies to the old ways of sin and is born to a new life in Christ.
Baptism is one's public identification with Christ Death and victorious
Resurrection. Following the custom of the early Church, Orthodoxy encourages
the baptism of infants. The Church believes that the Sacrament is bearing
witness to the action of God who chooses a child to be an important member of
His people. From the day of their baptism, children are expected to mature in
the life of the Spirit, through their family and the Church. The Baptism of
adults is practiced when there was no previous baptism in the name of the Holy
Trinity.

Confession is the Sacrament through which our
sins are forgiven, and our relationship to God and to others is restored and
strengthened. Through the Sacrament, Christ our Lord continues to heal those
broken in spirit and restore the Father's love those who are lost. According to
Orthodox teaching, the penitent confess to God and is forgiven by God. The
priest is the sacramental witness who represents both Christ and His people.

The Eucharist, the principal sacrament mystery
of the Orthodox Church, is not so much a text to be studied, but rather an
experience of communion with the Living God in which prayer , music, gestures,
the material creation, art and architecture come into full orchestration. The
Eucharist is a celebration of faith which touches not only the mind but also
the emotions and the senses.

In so doing, Orthodoxy has clearly avoided reducing the
Eucharist to a simple memorial of the Last Supper which is only occasionally
observed. Following the teachings of both Scripture and Tradition, the Orthodox
Church believes that Christ is truly present with His people in the celebration
of the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharistic gifts of bread and wine become for us
His Body and His Blood. We affirm that these Holy Gifts are transfigured into
the first fruits of the New Creation in which ultimately God will be "all
in all".

The birth and early life of the Virgin Mary is not recorded in the Gospels or
other books of the New Testament, however this information can be found in a
work dating from the second century known as the Book of James or
Protevangelion.

According
to the story found in this book, Mary's parents, Joachim and Anna, were
childless for many years. They remained faithful to God, but their prayers for
a child were unanswered. One day, when Joachim came to the temple to make an
offering, he was turned away by the High Priest who chastised him for his lack
of children. To hide his shame, Joachim retreated to the hill country to live
among the shepherds and their flocks.

As
Joachim was praying, his wife Anna was praying at the same time at their house
in Jerusalem. An angel appeared to both of them and announced that Anna would
have a child whose name would be known throughout the world. Anna promised to
offer her child as a gift to the Lord. Joachim returned home, and in due time
Anna bore a daughter, Mary.

It is on the Feast of the Annunciation, that
Orthodox Christians commemorate both the divine initiative of God, whereby He
took on flesh from the Virgin for our salvation, and the human response,
whereby Mary freely accepted the vocation offered to her. He elected to become
man, and He desired to do this with the willing agreement of her whom He chose
as His mother. Mary could have refused, for she was not a passive instrument,
but an active participant with a free and positive part to play in God’s plan
for our salvation. Thus, when on this and other feasts the Orthodox Church
honors the Theotokos, the Mother of God, it is not just because God chose her
but also because she herself chose to follow His will.

On the right side of the icon the Virgin sits
on an elevated seat, indicating that as the Mother of God she is “greater in
honor than the cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim,
who without corruption gave birth to God the Word.”

The three stars on her garments (7) represent
that she was a Virgin before, during, and after the birth of Christ.

Following her repose, the body of the Theotokos
was taken in procession and laid in a tomb near the Garden of Gethsemane. When
the Apostle Thomas arrived three days after her repose and desired to see her
body, the tomb was found to be empty. The bodily assumption of the Theotokos
was confirmed by the message of an angel and by her appearance to the Apostles.

In front of the bed of the Theotokos is a
candle (5.) that helps to form a central axis in the icon. Above the candle is
the body of the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. Standing over His mother is
Christ holding her most pure soul. Above Christ the gates of heaven stand open,
ready to receive the Mother of God.

We also affirm through this Feast as we journey
toward our heavenly abode that the Mother of God intercedes for us. Through
Christ she has become the mother of all of the children of God, embracing us
with divine love.

End quotes. Bold or italics are my emphasis.

These teachings are in direct opposition to the biblical doctrine of Scripture. Only by and through Christ is a regenerated person, who places full trust in the life, death (propitiation) and resurrection of the biblical Jesus. Baptism which is immersion in water, is for those who already have repented of their sins and turned to the biblical Christ Jesus alone for salvation, realizing there's nothing they can do or add to His work on the cross and His resurrection to get save or stay saved (Matt. 28:18-29). The Lord's Table is indeed merely symbolic of the cross work of Christ, for even as Jesus gave it for the first time, He wasn't on the cross; moreover John 6,

1 Tim, 2 Tim, etc. which teach that it is the doctrine of Christ that feeds us; not that Jesus becomes literal bread and wine, but that His life, death, resurrection, and doctrine are the only Truth which brings eternal life. To say Jesus becomes that which is eaten and then expelled from the body is blasphemous. Our unity to Christ comes by way of the Spirit giving us a new heart, a new nature, faith, repentance, etc., not by fleshly means.

Mary has nothing to do with our salvation in any way. She was an instrument through which the humanity of Jesus was given birth, but she is never hailed as anything more than a believer. In fact, Scripture condemns veneration of Mary:

Luk 11:27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed."

Luk 11:28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

Mary doesn't participate in mediating between God and man because only Jesus can do so:

1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

1Ti 2:6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

See my other articles on Roman Catholicism for more reasons why these teachings are unbiblical.

About Me

My name is Denise. I grew up in the Charismatic movement, but God delivered me out of it, and I thank Him for that. My heart is to show other believers the error of various movements(WOF, NAR, Seeker Friendly, Reformed theology/New Calvinism).I want to help them find truth through Scripture. I love the Word of God and hold it dear to my heart. It is the standard by which I filter everything, including doctrine & politics, including my own thoughts and actions. Ps 138:2
There is One God, and within the One God there are three distinct, co-equal and co-eternal persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit(1Peter 1:2; Matt. 28:19; Matt. 3:16-17; John 14:16-17). Literal 6 day Creation is Truth.Scripture is infallible, inerrant, & God-breathed (2Tim. 3:16, Heb.4:12, Ps. 19 & 119). Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone apart from any works (baptism, prayers, walking an aisle, etc.) so that no one can boast (Eph. 2:8-10). God is totally Sovereign in ALL things (Ps 33). I do mean ALL. Man is responsible for his sin. God is responsible for saving the elect through HIS means.